Filter or clarification systems have employed various devices to remove impurities from water and/or wastewater for a number of years. In these types of filter systems, settling systems are often used to remove impurities from a liquid. Plates or tubes are commonly used to drastically reduce the footprint of prior clarification systems that merely included an open basin. The plates or tubes are commonly mounted at fixed angles to the surface of the liquid to form a plurality of liquid flow channels. The fixed angle of the plates or tubes creates overlapping, horizontally projected surfaces that increase the effective settling surface area compared to an open basin. The increased effective settling surface area is desirable as filtering or clarification capacity is proportional to surface area.
The liquid to be filtered is directed through the plurality of liquid flow channels to cause the impurities to settle downwardly at the lower portion of a detention basin or sludge collection area. The liquid to be filtered can travel upwardly or downwardly through the plurality of liquid flow channels during the filtration or clarification process. As the liquid flows upwardly or downwardly through the inclined liquid flow passageways, the impurities settle out of the liquid being filtered and accumulate in the lower portion of the detention basin or collection area. It is desirable to periodically remove the impurities from the collection container.
Previously, flexible hoses have been used to remove impurities from one or more header pipes designed to collect impurities accumulating in a detention basin or collection container. Sludge removal systems employing flexible hoses have a number of disadvantages. Several of these disadvantages are explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,951,620. Therefore, some sludge removal systems have been designed without flexible hoses. These systems are often referred to as hoseless sludge removal/collection systems. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,497,249; 6,951,620; 7,021,472; and 7,169,312 disclose sludge removal systems of the hoseless type. However, these systems have inherent disadvantages due to their designs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,249 discloses an overly complex system. In one embodiment, two travelling trolleys 5 and 5a are required. In an alternative embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, an overly complex drive system and traveling trolley configuration are employed in an attempt to remove sludge accumulating in a material collection container.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,951,620; 7,021,472; and 7,169,312 disclose a sludge removal system that employs two telescoping conduits disposed directly adjacent the bottom of a detention basin or collection container. The larger of the two telescoping conduits moves between two opposing end walls of the basin. The movement of the larger conduit is impeded by the sludge accumulated in the lower portion of the detention basin or collection container, due to the position of the telescoping conduits relative to the removal headers and the sludge accumulating in the detention basin or collection area. Further, there is no means by which sludge can be collected in one of the two header pipes independent of the other header pipe. Moreover, the proximity of the two header pipes to the floor of the detention basin or collection container is limited by the size of the diameter of the larger conduit as the longitudinal axis of the two header pipes intersects the longitudinal axis of the larger conduit of the two telescoping conduits. In addition, the header pipes are fixed to one of the two telescoping pipes in such a manner as to prevent the header pipes from moving in a vertical direction relative to the two telescoping pipes preventing the vertical orientation of the header pipes to be readily adjusted during operation to compensate for floor surfaces that are not level.
Hence, there is a need for a material removal system that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages as well as other disadvantages not articulated above.